Digital Wellbeing
Social Media and Mental Health: What the Evidence Actually Says
Not all social media use is harmful. The difference lies in comparison, passivity and what it displaces.
CyberSafeTT · 11 December 2024 · 6 min read
Research consistently finds a modest but real link between heavy passive social-media use and anxiety, low mood and poor body image among adolescents, especially girls. Active, creative and connective use looks very different.
Three mechanisms that do the damage
- Upward comparison against edited, filtered highlight reels.
- Displacement of sleep, exercise and in-person friendship.
- Engagement-optimised feeds that reward outrage and insecurity.
Healthier defaults
- Curate ruthlessly, mute any account that reliably makes you feel worse.
- Post and message rather than scroll; connection beats consumption.
- Keep the first and last hour of the day screen-free.
- Talk about filters and edits openly with children; media literacy blunts comparison.
Next step
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